


"To the death?"

by LilacMist



Series: jeritza/byleth oneshots we die like men [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, seeds of future romance only if you put on ur reading glasses and squint at the very end, they fight, what is actually up with mask man he's got some Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 02:09:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20499173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacMist/pseuds/LilacMist
Summary: if IS actually let byleth show up and duel jeritza





	"To the death?"

**Author's Note:**

> this is so self-indulgent i'm sorry i'm thorsty for this disaster man and then didn't even write anything remotely thorsty  
i'm only on like ch 4 of 3h hhgghghghg may be extrEMELY OOC  
based on the time i told jeritza i wanted to fight to the death but he denied me

"You look bored. Care to duel?"

A simple question, really. Everyone has their eyes on the new professor at the Academy, and gauging her strength in a sparring match sounds more than reasonable. What catches him off-guard is her response.

"To the death?"

It takes every ounce of his being to control his unbridled elation. 

"What? I just wanted to spar..." he sighs, hoping she will leave before she catches the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Without the rush of battle, Jeritza's world is void. He endures the monotony of day-to-day in hopes that he will encounter someone who can match him. His equal in battle. The one who will end his existence. The thought of death galvanizes him. Whether it be his or hers, he cares not. The new professor's combat prowess is well-known, and while he dares not raise his hopes, he figures a "friendly" match with her may be enjoyable.

***

When she arrives in the training grounds, sword in hand and a glint in her eyes, Jeritza knows he lets a mad grin slip. Perhaps she does not realize the gravity of what she had asked for. He knows he cannot fell her here, not yet, but a taste of battle, a brush with death, should be enough to sate him. She will fight admirably--she is a sellsword, after all--but he will undoubtedly defeat her. He hopes her own technique will prove novel.

"I'm here to spar, like you suggested," Byleth speaks. Her voice is practically monotone, revealing nothing of her emotional state, yet her expression shouts, fiery determination on proud display.

He blinks to re-mask his emotions and nods. "At your ready," he dictates, gripping his blade and assuming a calm, defensive stance.

She explodes forward like a firecracker, sword slicing through the still air towards his side. He blocks, then parries, his movements calm and fluid. She swings again, then again, barraging him in a flurry of attacks. He remains cool, evading each one, though he can feel the air shift as her sword pierces the air around him.

Form is important in a fight, to be sure, but Jeritza knows that emotions play a role just as significant. If Byleth wishes to burn as a fire, he will fight with water. Tranquility and serenity to extinguish her chaotic technique. He will suffocate her.

Byleth steps back for a moment, breathing in deeply before sprinting ahead, slamming her sword down. He swings upward to meet her blade, looking up into her eyes. They still burn intense and strong. Flicking his wrist, he sends her back, but her stance is steady and she does not move far. Digging her toes into the dirt, she pushes off and springs forward, no less determined than before.

This continues for some time, though how long, Jeritza is not quite sure. The longer he defends, the more he feels tension coiling up inside him like a spring. Though he knows his passive method should prove most effective, he cannot continue to contain his bloodlust. Each of his parries grows in strength, and his brow furrows behind his mask. She does not show signs of fatigue and continues to charge at full strength. How this is possible, he does not know. Where does her energy come from? She stabs forward, catching his sleeve on the tip of her blade. She steps back and steadies herself as he stares at the fabric, ends already beginning to fray. He takes a slow, deep breath, raising his eyes to meet her gaze. When he sees her smirk, cocky and confident, it hits him. She has been toying with him. _Provoking_ him.

He had not been fighting fire with water.

He had been fighting fire with oil.

To have read a fight this poorly... To have been outsmarted by this mere girl... To know his next actions would be playing right into her hand...

Jeritza has never felt so alive.

He surges forward, blade moving erratically to the untrained eye, but to a swordsman, it is clear that each swing is aimed to kill. Byleth meets each one, holding her ground, then slowly pushing forward. With each blow, he searches for a fault, a break, a weakness, but Byleth covers all her bases, not leaving a single opening for him to strike. It's _exhilirating_. He has been fighting weak worms for far too long. The new professor is the equal of which he only dreamed. Frenzied by the mere thought of being slain at her hand, he strikes sloppily, giving her the opening she needs.

Byleth strikes, knocking his sword out of his hand. He doesn't register what's happening until he feels her sword press up against his chin.

"You said we would duel to the death," he hysterically laughs through his declaration. "End me."

She shakes her head and lowers the blade. "Who would I spar with if you were gone?"

He breathes deeply to try and calm down. She has a point. Worthy opponents are few and far between. To encounter her here and now must be fate. If Jeritza was more zealous, perhaps he would even credit the goddess.

"The rush that I felt when my blade clashed with yours...I have never felt that fighting anyone else," she continues, dropping the sword beside her and striding towards him. "It would be a shame to lose such a worthy opponent...to never again test my strength against you. Wouldn't you agree?"

Fully calm, now, he can't help but nod. She is a whirlwind unlike anything he has ever experienced. He had thought that bringing her to the brink of death would sate him, but instead, after tasting her blade, his hunger is deeper than before. Practically insatiable.

In a way, she did kill him. His life alone, searching for one worthy, is no more. His life is twined with hers, now. She is everything he needs.

"Next time, you will not catch me off guard," he vows, tensing when he feels her fingers brush up against his arm.

"We will see."

She spins around, daintily wrapping her fingers around her sword's hilt as she exits the training grounds.

**Author's Note:**

> deleted scene:  
sothis: byleth omg stop abusing divine pulse to flirt fight  
byleth: *resetting after getting her head sliced clean off for the 50th time* never


End file.
